Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 24, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 3081 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Hayne, Media Bureau (202) 418–

2177. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

synopsis of the Memorandum Opinion 

and Order in MB Docket No. 00–53, 

adopted January 10, 2007, and released 

January 12, 2007. The full text of this 

decision is available for inspection and 

copying during normal business hours 

in the FCC Reference Information Center 

at Portals II, CY–A257, 445 12th Street, 

SW., Washington, DC. The complete 

text of this decision may also be 

purchased from the Commission’s copy 

contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 

445 12th Street, SW., Room CY–B402, 

Washington, DC 20554, telephone 1–

800–378–3160 or http:// 

www.BCPIWEB.com. The Commission 

will not send a copy of this 

Memorandum Opinion and Order 

pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A), because 

the petition for reconsideration was 

dismissed. 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73 

Radio, Radio broadcasting. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

John A. Karousos, 

Assistant Chief, Audio Division, Media 

Bureau. 

[FR Doc. E7–1012 Filed 1–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 97 

[WT Docket No. 04–140, WT Docket No. 

05–235; FCC 06–178] 

Amateur Service Rules 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the 

Commission amends its Amateur Radio 

Service rules to remove the requirement 

that an individual must pass a Morse 

code telegraphy examination to qualify 

for a General Class or an Amateur Extra 

Class amateur radio service operator 

license. The Commission also revises 

the frequency segment of the 80 meter 

amateur service High Frequency (HF) 

band on which amateur stations are 

authorized to be automatically 

controlled when transmitting RTTY and 

data emission types, and it make other 

conforming amendments to the amateur 

service rules. 

DATES: Effective February 23, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William T. Cross, Wireless 

Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 

418–0620, or TTY (202) 418–7233. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Report 

and Order and Order on 

Reconsideration, in WT Docket Nos. 04–

140 and 05–235; FCC 06–178, adopted 

December 15, 2006 and released 

December 19, 2006. The complete text 

of this document is available for 

inspection and copying during normal 

business hours in the FCC’s Reference 

Information Center, 445 12th Street, 

SW., Room CY–A257, Washington, DC. 

Alternative formats (Braille, large print, 

electronic files, audio format) are 

available for people with disabilities by 

sending an e-mail to FCC504@fcc.gov or, 

calling the Consumer and Government 

Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530 

(voice), (202) 418–0432 (TTY). The 

Order also may be downloaded from the 

Commission’s Web site at http:// 

www.fcc.gov/. 

1. In this Report and Order and Order 

on Reconsideration the Commission 

adopts changes to its part 97 rules to 

revise the examination requirements for 

obtaining a General Class or Amateur 

Extra Class amateur radio operator 

license, revises the operating privileges 

for Technician Class licensees to 

include the operating privileges that are 

authorized to Novice Class licensees, 

and authorizes automatically controlled 

digital stations to operate in the 3585–

3600 kHz frequency segment. The 

overall effect of this action is to further 

the public interest by encouraging 

individuals who are interested in 

communications technology, or who are 

able to contribute to the advancement of 

the radio art, to become amateur radio 

operators; and eliminating a 

requirement that is now unnecessary 

and may discourage amateur service 

licensees from advancing their skills in 

the communications and technical 

phases of amateur radio. The changes 

adopted in this Report and Order and 

Order on Reconsideration were 

proposed in the Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking at 70 FR 51705, August 31, 

2005. Over 3800 comments on the 

proposed rule changes were received 

and changes to the proposed rules based 

on these comments are included in this 

Report and Order and Order on 

Reconsideration. 

2. Specifically, the Commission (1) 

removes the five wpm telegraphy 

examination from the examination 

requirements for the General Class and 

Amateur Extra Class operator licenses; 

(2) revises the operating privileges for 

Technician Class licensees to include 

the High Frequency operating privileges 

that are authorized to Novice Class and 

Technician Plus Class licensees; and (3) 

authorizes automatically controlled 

digital stations to transmit in the 3585–

3600 kHz segment of the 80 m band. 

The effect of these revisions are to 

eliminate unnecessary requirements 

from the amateur service license 

examination system and to provide 

licensees with greater flexibility in the 

utilization of amateur service 

frequencies. 

I. Procedural Matters 

A. Paperwork Reduction Act Analysis 

3. This document does not contain 

any new or modified information 

collection requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), Public Law 104–13. Therefore, it 

does not contain any new or modified 

‘‘information collection burden for 

small business concerns with fewer than 

25 employees,’’ pursuant to the Small 

Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, 

Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(4). 

B. Report to Congress 

4. The Commission will send a copy 

of the Report and Order and Order on 

Reconsideration, including this Final 

Regulatory Flexibility Certification, in a 

report to be sent to Congress and the 

Congressional Budget Office pursuant to 

the Congressional Review Act. In 

addition, the Commission will send a 

copy of the Report and Order and Order 

on Reconsideration, including the Final 

Regulatory Flexibility Certification, to 

the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 

SBA and the Final Regulatory 

Flexibility Certification will also be 

published in the Federal Register. 

C. Final Regulatory Flexibility 

Certification 

5. In this Report and Order and Order 

on Reconsideration, we amend the rules 

that specify how an individual who has 

qualified for an amateur service operator 

license can use an amateur radio station 

consistent with the basis and furthering 

the purpose of the amateur service. The 

amended rules apply exclusively to 

individuals who are licensees in the 

amateur radio service. Given the 

definition of a ‘‘small entity,’’ none of 

these individuals are small entities as 

the term is used in the RFA. Therefore, 

we certify that the rules reflected in this 

Report and Order and Order on 

Reconsideration will not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with RULES
3082 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 24, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

D. Ordering Clauses 

6. Pursuant to sections 4(i), 303(f), 

303(r), and 332 of the Communications 

Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154 

(i), 303(f), 303(r) and 332, the rules are 

amended as specified below. 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 97 

Radio. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene H. Dortch, 

Secretary. 

Rule Changes 

■ For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Federal Communications 

Commission amends 47 CFR part 97 as 

follows: 

PART 97—AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 97 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as 

amended; 47 U.S.C. 154, 303. Interpret or 

apply 48 Stat. 1064–1068, 1081–1105, as 

amended; 47 U.S.C. 151–155, 301–609, 

unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Section 97.3 is amended by revising 

paragraph (a)(12) to read as follows: 

§ 97.3 Definitions. 

(a) * * * 

(12) CEPT radio amateur license. A 

license issued by a country belonging to 

the European Conference of Postal and 

Telecommunications Administrations 

(CEPT) that has adopted 

Recommendation T/R 61–01 (Nice 1985, 

Paris 1992, Nicosia 2003). 

* * * * * 

■ 3. Section 97.221 is amended by 

revising paragraph (b) to read as follows: 

§ 97.221 Automatically controlled digital 

station. 

* * * * * 

(b) A station may be automatically 

controlled while transmitting a RTTY or 

data emission on the 6 m or shorter 

wavelength bands, and on the 28.120–

28.189 MHz, 24.925–24.930 MHz, 

21.090–21.100 MHz, 18.105–18.110 

MHz, 14.0950–14.0995 MHz, 14.1005–

14.112 MHz, 10.140–10.150 MHz, 

7.100–7.105 MHz, or 3.585–3.600 MHz 

segments. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. Section 97.301 is amended by 

revising the introductory text of 

paragraphs (a), (b) and (e) to read as 

follows: 

§ 97.301 Authorized frequency bands. 

* * * * * 

(a) For a station having a control 

operator who has been granted a 

Technician, Technician Plus, General, 

Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class 

operator license, who holds a CEPT 

radio amateur license, or who holds any 

class of IARP: 

* * * * * 

(b) For a station having a control 

operator who has been granted an 

Amateur Extra Class operator license, 

who holds a CEPT radio amateur 

license, or who holds a Class 1 IARP 

license: 

* * * * * 

(e) For a station having a control 

operator who has been granted an 

operator license of Novice Class, 

Technician Class, or Technician Plus 

Class: 

* * * * * 

■ 5. Section 97.501 is amended by 

revising paragraph (a) and (b) to read as 

follows: 

§ 97.501 Qualifying for an amateur 

operator license. 

* * * * * 

(a) Amateur Extra Class operator: 

Elements 2, 3, and 4; 

(b) General Class operator: Elements 2 

and 3; 

* * * * * 

§ 97.503 [Amended] 

■ 6. Section 97.503 is amended by 

removing paragraph (a), redesignating 

paragraph (b) as an undesignated 

introductory paragraph, and 

redesignating paragraphs (b)(1) through 

(b)(3) as paragraphs (a) through (c). 

■ 7. Section 97.505 is amended by 

revising paragraphs (a)(1), (2), (3), (4), 

and (5) to read as set forth below, and 

by removing paragraphs (a)(6), (7), (8), 

and (9). 

§ 97.505 Element credit. 

(a) * * * 

(1) An unexpired (or expired but 

within the grace period for renewal) 

FCC-granted Advanced Class operator 

license grant: Elements 2 and 3. 

(2) An unexpired (or expired but 

within the grace period for renewal) 

FCC-granted General Class operator 

license grant: Elements 2 and 3. 

(3) An unexpired (or expired but 

within the grace period for renewal) 

FCC-granted Technician or Technician 

Plus Class operator (including a 

Technician Class operator license 

granted before February 14, 1991) 

license grant: Element 2. 

(4) An expired FCC-issued Technician 

Class operator license document granted 

before March 21, 1987; Element 3. 

(5) A CSCE: Each element the CSCE 

indicates the examinee passed within 

the previous 365 days. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. E7–729 Filed 1–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with RULES